Flying-car enthusiasts may have to wait a little longer to purchase a production vehicle capable of vertical takeoff and landing. Moller International, maker of the M400 Skycar and M200G saucer, this week reported that company debt rose to $40.6 million after a loss of more than $80,000 during the last quarter. A prototype of the M400 with a $3.5 million price tag was included in this year's Neiman Marcus holiday catalogue, but production versions do not currently exist.

PM reported on the Skycar in 1991 after inventor and University of California professor Paul Moller demonstrated a saucer-shaped vehicle capable of vertical takeoff and landing. His next project was the creation of a "practical transportation vehicle of the air," PM reported in its January issue. "A custom-designed Wankel rotary engine is one reason why Moller may succeed where others have not. It provides the power-to-weight ration vertical takeoff demands, yet is inexpensive to produce," PM wrote. Design specifications included a four-person cabin, top speed of 420 mph and eight 1.3 liter, 150-hp engines. Moller estimated production of several thousand Skycars a year would begin by 1995. —Emily Masamitsu

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